With
the advent of FaceBook and Smart Phones, I no longer
take pictures so I'm archiving 2 decades of throw
backs pictures that were taken for my website Guy's
Gallery on FaceBook for public viewing of the people
in the Houston Community. Take a walk down memory
lane. Click the picture below to see pictures you
don't have to be a member of FaceBook to view. Enjoy!
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Cicely Tyson
becomes first
Black woman to
receive Honorary
Oscar

The
93-year-old
actress
was
named
this
week as
the
recipient
of an
honorary
Oscar,
making
her the
first
black
woman to
gain
that
distinction,
according
to
Essenceand
People.

Tyson
has won
a Tony,
two
Emmys
and a
Presidential
Medal of
Freedom,
but an
Academy
Award
had
escaped
the
performer
in a
legendary
career.
She lost
the only
time she
was
nominated
for best
actress,
in 1973
for the
sharecropper
drama
“Sounder.”

But
she has
won
plenty
of
acclaim
elsewhere,
such as
for TV
productions
like
“Roots”
and “The
Autobiography
of Miss
Jane
Pittman.”

Tyson
began as
a model
and
stage
actress
and got
her big
feature-film
break in
1968’s
“The
Heart Is
a Lonely
Hunter.”

Fifty
years
later,
she is
getting
some
overdue
recognition
by the
Board of
Governors
of the
Academy
of
Motion
Picture
Arts and
Sciences.

Oscar
winner
Viola
Davis,
with
whom
Tyson
co-starred
in “The
Help”
and on
TV’s
“How to
Get Away
With
Murder,”
spoke
for many
when she
wrote on
Instagram,
“Beyond
deserved!!!”

Date/time:
September 29th, 7:00pm to 11:00pm

Venue: Smart
Financial Centre

Address: 18111
Lexington Dr, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479

17 Rules of Happiness

17 Rules of Happiness by Karl
Moore

Every day, most of us focus on the grey clouds
in the sky. Life is dim and gloomy, and showers are
just minutes away. But we forget something. We don’t
remember that just behind those clouds, the sun is
beaming brightly – every single minute of every
single day. These are 17 rules designed to shift
your perspective, helping you to rediscover the
happiness you may have forgotten.

Rule #1 – Stop Feeling Sorry for
Yourself! It’s not going to help the
situation. It’ll only help you to wallow in a state
of apathy, playing the victim. The kind of person
that things happen to, but that can’t do anything
about it. By stopping feeling sorry for yourself,
you can actually get on and DO something about it.
If you want to be happy – stop feeling sorry for
yourself. “Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we
yield to it, we can never do anything wise in this
world.” – Helen Keller

Rule #2 –Be Grateful.
Think of all the wonderful things you have to be
grateful for right now. It could be your family. Or
your health. Maybe your home. Your friends. Your
brain. Your heart. Your spirit. We’ve all got
amazing things in our own lives that make us smile
with joy. And if we can count these blessings every
day, we’ll discover a greater appreciation of the
beautiful world we surround ourselves with. “If the
only prayer you ever say in your entire life is
thank you, it will be enough.” – Meister Eckhardt

Rule #3 –Say Yes More.
We fight against what happens to us in life, rather
than allowing it to be as it is. We resist it,
rather than accepting it. We say “No!” rather than
saying “Yes” – or even just “Okay.” By saying “Yes!”
more to life, we go with the flow. Things become
more enjoyable and positive, less stressful and
anxious, and often the situation turns out for the
better regardless. “I will say yes to every favor,
request, suggestion and invitation. I will swear to
say yes where once I would say no.” – Danny Wallace

Rule #4 –Follow Your
Bliss. Bliss is what you’re doing when
you’re wrapped up in the moment. When you’re so
thrilled just to be doing it, it ceases even to be
work anymore. Your bliss occurs when you’re living
in the moment, and time doesn’t really matter
anymore. It’s not for the money, it’s for the
pleasure. “When you follow your bliss, doors will
open where you would not have thought there would be
doors; and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone
else.” – Joseph Campbell

Rule #5 –Learn to Let
Go. Remember, letting go doesn’t mean you
“forgive” the person at the grocery store, or you
“allow” that kind of behavior. It just means that
you release the negative emotion inside of you. By
releasing negative emotions, you’ll not only enjoy
much more freedom in your life – you’ll also become
more emotionally stable and less stressed too. “By
letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by
those who let it go. But when you try and try, the
world is beyond the winning.” –Lao Tzu

Rule #6 –Do Random
Acts of Kindness. The more we give, the
more we receive. A Random Acts of Kindness or RAK is
a small act of kindness that you grant to someone
else in the world – for absolutely no reason
whatsoever, without expecting anything in return.
Just throw a little extra kindness out to the world
– and watch how you find greater happiness starting
to flood back into your own life. “If you want
others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want
to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

Rule #7 –Happiness Is
Only Ever Now. We spend so much time
waiting to be happy in the future, or worrying about
the past, that we forget to live in the moment. But
here’s the thing: Life is transient. The past has
gone. The future is just a dream. The only time that
truly exists ever is RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW is the
ONLY time you can do or change ANYTHING in your
life. And NOW is the only time you have. “Few of us
ever live in the present, we are forever
anticipating what is to come or remembering what has
gone.” – Louis LArmor

Rule #8 –Experience,
Don’t Hoard! Investing in experiences
rather than material goods created greater lasting
happiness. It doesn’t have to be big and it doesn’t
have to be expensive. And you can always do it on
your own, too. By living, and truly experiencing
life, we feel more whole, fulfilled and authentic.
So, experience – don’t hoard – and you will be
happy. “When youre curious, you find lots of
interesting things to do.” – Walt Disney

Rule #9 –Appreciate
Both Sides of the Coin. The truth is that
in order for you to experience true happiness in
your life, you must experience sadness. Without
sadness, we really can’t even understand what
happiness is. Just enjoy and embrace all your life
adventures. And when seemingly negative things
happen, remember that it’s just the duality of life.
It’s just the other side of the coin. It’s required.
It’s part of the equation. “You don’t know when
you’ve hit a peak until you’re coming down. And you
don’t know when you’ve hit a trough until you’re
climbing out. It’s all good.” – David Brent

Rule #10 –Be More
Social. Countless studies on the science of
happiness have turned up one single characteristic
of the happiest and most successful people in
society. They have a large social network! Don’t
just wait for interesting people to stumble into
your life. Keep going and going. Expand your social
circle as far as you can. Be the person that walks
through town and bumps into a dozen friends. “Let us
be grateful to people who make us happy, they are
the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
– Marcel Proust

Rule #11 –Love More!
We must realize that we feel the most happy in life
– when we are the one giving the love! The more we
love others, the happier he became. The more we love
the world around us, the happier we become. The more
we love even our enemies, the happier we become. And
best of all, WE can control the amount of love we
give – and thereby control the amount of happiness
we experience. “Love and kindness are never wasted.
They always make a difference. They bless the one
who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” –
Barbara De Angelis

Rule #12 –Have a Dream.
Dream are critical. They light up life. Without
them, we become bored, and tired, and apathetic. So,
take this opportunity to really clarify your dreams.
Take a pen and paper and spend an hour figuring out
what you really dream about. But whatever you do,
make sure you have a dream. They’re incredibly
important. Dreams are the spark plugs of the spirit.
Make sure yours are ready for action. “A person
starts dying when they stop dreaming.” – Brian
Williams

Rule #13 –Intention
Sets Direction. Decide on where you’re
going and how it’ll be for you – and it’ll happen.
set your intention first. Make it clear that you’re
going to have a great time, you’ll meet some
fantastic people, and that it’s going to be
wonderful. Set your general intention every morning
and every night, too. The brighter and more
positive, the better. Set your sunny intention – and
you will be happy. “Whether you think you can or you
can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

Rule #14 –Enjoy Simple
Pleasures. It’s an attitude. The ability to
appreciate the happiness, the beauty, the pleasure
in the simple things around us. Remember the simple
things that you truly enjoy. Then take time out to
experience them again. Or even better, turn them
into little daily or weekly rituals, filling your
life with sunshine. Quite simply, enjoy simple
pleasures and rituals – and you will be happy.
“Simplicity is the essence of happiness.” – Cedric
Bledsoe

Rule #15 –Accept What
Is. By accepting, welcoming, embracing what
is, you clear all of your emotions. Your thoughts
gain more clarity. You become happier. You
experience more freedom. If you can change things,
after accepting them, you’ll have a sharper mind and
more energy to do so. Pointless worrying – there’s
nothing you can do about it. Shrug and smile about
it, that’s life. “Happiness is a function of
accepting what is.” – Werner Erhard

Rule #16 –Zoom Out and
Don’t Sweat. You never, ever know what is
around the corner. So, try regularly “zooming out”
of your current picture, and realizing the true
priorities in your life. If you can, do it every day
– particularly when you return home from work. Then
kick back your shoes, and enjoy some quality time
with family and friends. Life is short. “If you do
not raise your eyes you will think that you are the
highest point.” – Antonio Porchia

Rule #17 –Laugh,
Dance, Smile! Surround yourself with
happiness – wonderful music, dance classes, evenings
with friends. Take time to laugh at the craziness of
life! Splash out and enjoy to the max. True
happiness, self-development, freedom, comes from
inside – and is expressed externally in bright
faces, a big smile, and plenty of laughing. Laugh at
all of the silly problems you’ve been holding on to,
so very well, for so long. “A friendly look, a
kindly smile, one good act, and life’s worthwhile.”
– Unknown

State Rep. Ron
Reynolds turns
himself in to
serve year-long
jail sentence

State Rep.
Ron Reynolds has
turned himself in to
authorities in
Montgomery County to
begin serving his
year-long jail
sentence.

Reynolds, a
Democrat from
Missouri City, was
convicted in 2015 on
misdemeanor charges
for illegally
soliciting clients
for his personal
injury practice and
sentenced to a year
in jail. He was out
on an appellate bond
for years while his
case wound through
the appeals process.

On Friday
morning, he had a
hearing in
Montgomery County
after all his
appeals were denied,
and he turned
himself in,
according to a court
clerk. He has not
resigned his seat
and state law does
not force
resignations for
misdemeanor
convictions, meaning
it’s likely he’ll be
in jail when the
next session of the
Texas Legislature
convenes in January.

Reynolds has won
several elections
since his
conviction,
including his
primary in March. He
faces no opposition
in the general
election this
November.

The exact length
of time he will
spend behind bars,
however, remains
uncertain. Though he
was sentenced to one
year, county jails
will often allow
“good time credit”
which can
drastically cut time
served in some
cases. Joel Daniels,
the main prosecutor
in Reynolds’ trial
and chief of the
white collar
division in the
Montgomery County
District Attorney’s
Office, said that
decision is left up
to the sheriff.

“The sheriff can
have him serve
day-for-day, he can
give him credit for
two days for every
day that he serves
or three days,” he
said. “It’s really
just on the
discretion of the
sheriff and it
depends on Mr.
Reynolds’ behavior.”

If Reynolds
served only one day
of every three of
his sentence, he
could conceivably
get out of jail just
one or two days
before the next
legislative session
starts on Jan. 8.

Shortly after
Reynolds was
escorted into a
county van in
handcuffs and a
button-down shirt,
his office released
a statement that
said the lawmaker’s
attorney is
continuing to work
on “various legal
challenges” and
Reynolds was
confident that his
conviction would
still be overturned.
Reynolds said he
will continue to
“fight for his
constituents during
the upcoming
session.”

“Rep.
Reynolds has full
confidence that his
experienced staff
will be able to
handle any immediate
needs of his
constituents, during
his 4-6 month
absence,” the
statement,
attributed to
Reynolds, said.

He
emphasized that he
“voluntarily revoked
his appeal bond so
that he could be
prepared to start
the 86th Legislative
Session on time.”
His appeals had been
exhausted in state
courts, with the
Texas Court of
Criminal Appeals
denying to hear his
case in May and then
again rejecting a
motion for a
rehearing in July.

On Friday, a
Texas Democratic
Party leader said
Reynolds was taking
responsibility for
his actions.

“No politician
is above the law,”
said Manny Garcia,
the party’s deputy
executive director.
“Today, Rep.
Reynolds took
responsibility for
his actions and is
facing the
consequences, when
will indicted
Republican Attorney
General
Ken Paxton do
the same?”

Paxton is facing
a criminal trial for
securities fraud
charges, but has not
been convicted of a
crime.

Garcia said he
had “no further
comment at this
time” when asked if
the party saw any
need for Reynolds to
resign or face
disciplinary action.
State Rep.
Chris Turner,
head of the House
Democratic Caucus,
echoed Reynolds’
statement of
voluntarily revoking
his bond.

“We respect the
legal process and we
hope this matter is
finally resolved in
the near future,” he
added in an emailed
statement.

Reynolds’
conviction stems
from a 2012
undercover
investigation that
revealed a
chiropractic firm
was persuading
patients who had
been injured in
accidents to sign
contracts that named
Reynolds as their
legal counsel before
the patients had
physical exams or
even met him.

Those charges
were ultimately
dropped after
investigators in the
case were accused of
stealing evidence in
unrelated cases, but
Reynolds was again
arrested a year
later after
authorities raided
his office and the
offices of seven
other area
attorneys. The
lawyers were
allegedly involved
in a $25 million
kickback scheme with
Robert Valdez, a
co-owner of two
chiropractic
clinics.

New Miss America
glad she didn’t
have to don
swimsuit to win

The first
woman to win the
Miss America
crown without
having to don a
swimsuit says
she’s glad she
didn’t have to.

Nia
Imani
Franklin,
who won the
title Sunday
night in
Atlantic
City while
competing as
Miss New
York, said
the changes
in the
98-year-old
are a
welcome
modernization.

Meeting
reporters
soon after
winning the
crown,
Franklin
said she’s
glad there
was no
swimsuit
competition
because it
enabled her
to eat a
little more.

“These
changes, I
think, will
be great for
our
organization,”
she said.
“I’ve
already seen
so many
young women
reaching out
to me
personally
as Miss New
York asking
how they can
get involved
because I
think they
feel more
empowered
that they
don’t have
to do things
such as walk
in a
swimsuit for
a
scholarship.

“And I’m
happy that I
didn’t have
to do so to
win this
title
tonight
because I’m
more than
just that,”
Franklin
said. “And
all these
women
onstage are
more than
just that.”

Her
victory
Sunday night
resurrected
a string of
successes
the Empire
State has
had in the
pageant in
recent
years.
Mallory
Hagan, Nina
Davuluri and
Kira
Kazantsev
won the
title from
2013 to 2015
competing as
Miss New
York.

A
classical
vocalist
whose
pageant
platform is
“advocating
for the
arts,”
Franklin
sang an
operatic
selection
from the
opera La
Boheme on
Sunday
night.

She
wrote her
first song
at age 5. It
went “Love,
love, love,
love, is the
only thing
that matters
to me, hey,
hey, hey,
hey, hey.”
At the
prompting of
an
Associated
Press
reporter,
she sang the
song at her
post-victory
press
conference
as audience
members
snapped
their
fingers.

Franklin
won a
$50,000
scholarship
along with
the crown in
the first
Miss America
pageant to
be held
without a
swimsuit
competition.

She said
during her
onstage
interview
that she was
one of only
a small
number of
minority
students in
school
growing up,
but used her
love for
music and
the arts to
grow and fit
in.

The
fourth
runner up
was Miss
Massachusetts
Gabriela
Taveras;
third runner
up was Miss
Florida
Taylor
Tyson;
second
runner up
was Miss
Louisiana
Holli’
Conway, and
the first
runner up
was Miss
Connecticut
Bridget Oei.

The
judges
narrowed the
field of 51
candidates
during the
pageant
Sunday night
from Jim
Whelan
Boardwalk
Hall.

The
decision to
drop the
swimsuit
competition
created a
good deal of
controversy
and
criticism of
current Miss
America
leadership.
Minutes
before the
nationally
televised
broadcast
began, a
comedian
warming up
the crowd
mentioned
that there
would be no
swimsuit
competition
this year,
and was met
with loud
boos in the
hall.

The
swimsuits
were
replaced by
onstage
interviews,
which have
generated
attention-grabbing
remarks from
contestants
regarding
President
Trump, and
NFL player
protests,
among other
topics.

Behind
the scenes,
a revolt is
underway
among most
of the Miss
America
state
organizations
who demand
that
national
chairwoman
Gretchen
Carlson and
CEO Regina
Hopper
resign.

The
former Miss
America,
Cara Mund,
says the two
have bullied
and silenced
her, claims
that the
women deny.

Upon
taking over
at the helm
of the Miss
America
Organization
last winter
following an
email
scandal in
which former
top leaders
denigrated
the
appearance,
intellect
and sex
lives of
former Miss
Americas,
Carlson and
Hopper set
out to
transform
the
organization,
dubbing it
“Miss
America
2.0.”

Unhappy
with how the
swimsuit
decision was
reached, as
well as with
other
aspects of
Carlson and
Hopper’s
performance,
46 of the 51
state
pageant
organizations
(the
District of
Columbia is
included)
have called
on the two
to resign.

Mund
only
appeared at
the very end
of the
pageant
before the
next winner
was crowned.
She was not
allowed to
speak live;
instead a
30-second
taped
segment of
her speaking
was
broadcast

Date/time:
September 29th, 8:00am to
10:00pm

Venue:
Cotton Bowl

Address:
Fair Park, TX, Dallas,
Texas, 75215

Texas officer arrested on manslaughter charge in man’s death

A white Dallas police officer was arrested Sunday on a manslaughter charge in the off-duty shooting of a black neighbor whose apartment she says she mistook for her own.

Officer Amber Guyger was booked into the Kaufman County Jail after being taken into custody, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a news release. The department said the investigation is ongoing and that no additional information was available.

A jail employee said Guyger was released on bond. Online records initially showed Guyger was in custody, but she later was not listed on the jail inmate roster.

Guyger fatally shot 26-year-old Botham Jean on Thursday at Jean’s apartment. Lawyers for Jean’s family had been calling for Guyger’s arrest, saying the fact that she had remained free days after the shooting showed she was receiving favorable treatment. They held a news conference Sunday night, shortly before the arrest was announced, making another plea for the officer to be taken into custody and saying their team had presented new evidence — a witness and video footage — to prosecutors. They didn’t provide details.

The family attorneys weren’t immediately available for comment after the arrest came.

Lee Merritt, one of the attorneys for Jean’s family, said Saturday that the man’s loved ones weren’t calling on the authorities to jump to conclusions or to deny Guyger her right to due process. But Merritt said they wanted Guyger “to be treated like every other citizen, and where there is evidence that they’ve committed a crime, that there’s a warrant to be issued and an arrest to be made.”

Guyger, 30, is a four-year veteran of the police force. The Dallas Police Department released her name Saturday night.

Police Chief U. Renee Hall said the day after the shooting that her department was seeking manslaughter charges against Guyger. But she said Saturday that the Texas Rangers, who have taken over the investigation, asked her department to hold off because they had learned new information and wanted to investigate further before a warrant was issued.

Jean’s family has also hired attorney Benjamin Crump, who is best known for representing the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Martin, a black, unarmed 17-year-old, was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Brown, a black, unarmed 18-year-old, was shot and killed by a white police officer in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri.

Crump has also represented the families of Stephon Clark and Terence Crutcher, both also black and unarmed. Clark, 22, was fatally shot earlier this year by officers in the backyard of his grandparents’ home in Sacramento, California. Crutcher, 40, was shot and killed by a white police officer in 2016 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

According to police, Guyger shot and killed Jean after returning in uniform to the South Side Flats, where they both had apartments, following her shift. She reported the shooting to dispatchers and she told officers who responded that she had mistaken Jean’s apartment for her own.

Many questions remain about what led Guyger to shoot Jean. Hall said the officer’s blood was drawn at the scene so that it could be tested for alcohol and drugs. Investigators haven’t released the results of those tests.

Jean’s mother, Allison Jean, wondered whether race could have been a factor. Her son, who grew up in the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia before attending college in Arkansas, is black. Guyger is white.

“If it was a white man, would it have been different? Would she have reacted differently?” Allison Jean said Friday.

Jean wasn’t the first person shot by Guyger. She shot another man, Uvaldo Perez, on May 12, 2017, while she was on duty.

According to an affidavit in the case filed against Perez, police were looking for a suspect when Guyger and another officer were called to assist a third. Perez got out of a car and became combative with Guyger and another officer. A struggle began and Guyger fired her Taser at Perez, who then wrested it away from her. She then drew her gun and fired, wounding Perez in the abdomen.

Guyger was not charged in the 2017 shooting.

Sgt. Mike Mata, president of Dallas’ largest police employee organization, the Dallas Police Association, on Saturday called for an “open, transparent and full investigation of the event,” the Dallas Morning News reported. He described Jean as an “amazing individual” and said that “if the grand jury deems necessary, this officer should have to answer for her actions in a court of law in Dallas County.”

Friends and family gathered Saturday at the Dallas West Church of Christ to remember Jean, who had been working for accounting firm PwC since graduating in 2016 from Harding University in Arkansas, where he often led campus religious services as a student. They described Jean as a devout Christian and a talented singer.

“Botham did everything with passion,” Allison Jean told the prayer service. “God gave me an angel.”

His uncle, Ignatius Jean, said the killing has devastated the family and left it searching for answers.

“You want to think it’s fiction … and you have to grapple with the reality,” he said.

The
PINNACLE Center is free* for use to Fort Bend and City
of Houston residents that are ages 50 and above.